Covert Mini-Courts Within Judicial and Law Enforcement Operations (Part 2)

Lawrence E. Fraley

Abstract

This article has been split into two parts due to size constraints.

This paper presents a behaviorologist's analytical review of the improper treatment to which defendants might be subjected as they pass through the various levels of the criminal justice system. Examples extracted from actual cases are presented throughout the article.' It examines the contingencies that control those abuses, and describes the effects on the behavior of defendants and officials. The implications of relying on cognitive psychology as a scientific foundation for operations within the system are pursued to reveal the inadequacy of cognitive and mentalistic assumptions. An argument is developed supporting behaviorology as the appropriate scientific and philosophical foundation for the criminal justice field. The paper offers specific recommendations to preclude or countercontrol the abuses.